This invention relates generally to driers of the type utilized in the commercial printing industry, and more particularly to an infrared drier for commercial printers which is characterized by a simplified design that is economical to manufacture and by an improved air receiving and discharging system.
In the commercial printing industry, driers are utilized immediately following the application of printing ink to a surface. The function of the drier is to apply infrared energy to the just-applied printing ink thereby evaporating the volatiles from the printing ink without adversely affecting either the remaining pigment component of the printing ink or the surface to which the printing ink has been applied. In this manner the drier functions to rapidly and efficiently prepare the printed material for further operations such as folding, cutting, stacking, etc.
Various drier designs have heretofore been utilized in the commercial printing industry. In general, prior art driers for commercial printers have been complicated in design and have therefore been relatively expensive to manufacture and use. For example, many prior art driers employ a cover as the main structural component upon which all other components are mounted. The cover-mounted approach is cumbersome and involves difficulty in the installation of wiring, etc.
The present invention comprises a drier for commercial printers which overcomes the foregoing and other problems which have long since characterized the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, an air receiving and directing member serves as the cover for the drier. A lamp support frame comprises the primary structural element of the drier and supports a plurality of infrared radiation generating lamps which function to direct infrared radiation directly onto an underlying surface having fresh printing ink received thereon. The lamp support frame has a reflector secured thereto which reflects radiation from the lamps onto the printing ink bearing surface.
A fan support plate is supported on the lamp support frame and is in a spaced apart relationship with respect to the top plate thereof. The fan support plate supports one or more fans and is provided with an air directing aperture aligned with each fan. The fans direct air through the apertures of the fan support plate and onto the upper surface of the top plate of the lamp supporting bracket. The air then flows around the ends of the lamp support frame and is directed onto the print bearing surface through apertures formed in the air receiving and directing member. Additional air is received through apertures formed in the sides of the air receiving and directing member.